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Profile

Neena

Age: 24

Hometown: Delhi, India

Amit

Age: 27

Hometown: Delhi, India

If one half of this team can "betray" even family to get what he wants, what chance do the other teams have? Take Amit Rai, 27, for instance. One thing he has never forgiven his cousin, Neena Rai, 24, who used to be an air hostess, for is never introducing him to any of her model and air stewardess friends. So rather than rely on family help, he took matters into his own hands.

"I stole her mobile phone and took down all the numbers of her model friends, and called them up as a model-coordinator," quips the media and real estate consultant. Now, whether he got lucky with those numbers is another thing, as his only goal now is to represent India and if he wins The Amazing Race Asia, make Indians everywhere proud of his achievements.

But he adds, "The prize money is very tempting too."

And while his cousin is thrilled to experience the rush of the race, the reality TV fan also hopes that the increased profile of being on The Amazing Race Asia will boost her modeling and art career.

Having known each other all their lives, and having spent the better half of that time seeing the better and worse of each other, the duo believe they are ready for whatever the competition throws at them. In fact, watching them together, it seems they too have a need to outdo each other, and are behaving more like siblings than first cousins. They say, "We have gone though life, education and stress together and we have this bond."

But with family, there is always the drama to expect. Summing it up, Neena explains, "We both are poles apart in everything but still get along like a house on fire. We both are melodramatic people as well. While my reaction to a particular situation could be loud, his reaction to calm me down is even louder."

However, there are elements that only she can bring to the team, such as her vast airport hopping experience during her time as a flight attendant. Her game plan is to have other teams underestimate her. "I intend not show my competitive side to the other racers and let everyone think I am all beauty and no brains," she professes.

One thing she would have to master is her patience though. "I am very impatient and tend to think negatively. And God help me with my punctuality."

She also has to deal with a cousin who more often than not, prefers to give up on things.
"He deliberately starts giving up or loses a winning game because he is either annoyed or impatient," she says.

As for Amit, he credits Neena for getting him hooked on the show and intends to play the role of the underdog, and of course, work on his impatience. "I intend to show the other team that we guys are good for nothing and then like tortoise win the race, slow and steady."

His intent is to stay chilled out, calm and focused, while having fun. "I can handle stress and people who are under stress," he says.